The field of the disclosure relates generally to radio-frequency identification (RFID) systems, and more specifically, to an RFID reader for transmitting radio signals at a plurality of power levels.
Known RFID systems utilize RFID readers and RFID tags. The RFID reader interrogates an RFID tag by transmitting a radio signal to the tag and receiving a response radio signal from the tag. The radio response signal may include information about an object to which the RFID tag is attached. Accordingly, by interrogating a plurality of RFID tags, information about a plurality of objects can be retrieved relatively quickly.
However, depending on a location of the RFID tag and/or RFID reader, different power levels may be needed to detect different RFID tags. At least some known RFID readers allow a user to manually change the power level until an RFID tag is detected. However, using such a trial and error process to detect RFID tags may be time-consuming, and may result in missing (i.e., not detecting) one or more RFID tags. Accordingly, in some assemblies, such as vehicles, items are often manually checked rather than using automated RFID systems. However, manually checking items, such as safety equipment and/or maintenance equipment, generally is more time-consuming and/or labor-intensive. Further, manually checking items may result in human error, making manual checks limited in their reliability.